Category: vet

My cat, Marleybone, and I had have a long-term, love-hate relationship with our local vet (nb. the hatred was not on my own part). Now that we’ve moved down near Moorabbin, the two of us are in on the hunt for a bayside vet.

Marley-bone isn’t in bad shape for a fifteen year-old cat. He loves to rip into anything woollen, and is known to have a red hot go at the mouse that occasionally cuts through our living room. Still, he’s no spring chicken, and benefits from the occasional health check up at the vet.

His dental health, in particular, is something that I’m keen to stay on top of – some vets say that caring for a pet’s teeth can add up to four years to its life. I have enough trouble keeping my own dental appointments, so it might seem a bit of a stretch for me to shell out the time and money for Marley-bone’s chompers. The way I see it, though, he’s not ‘my cat’; he’s a friend, and I’ve taken on responsibility for his health and happiness.

As I’ve said, though, Marley-bone’s certainly not getting any younger, and it would be good to be connected to an emergency vet. Bayside fortunately, has options for this kind of service (note to self: pay attention to where these are located). I have particular concerns about his wellbeing over the approaching summer months, which, here in the Melbourne region, seem to get hotter with every passing year. It’s possible for animals to experience heat stroke – particularly fluffernutters ones like Marley-bone.

Again, this might seem like an over-the-top concern to have on behalf of one’s cat, but timely veterinary health care and treatment is part of what we owe our animal companions in exchange for having them in our lives. Experienced veterinarians and vet nurses have the specialised skills that enable us to provide these things to our pets, and I’m more than happy to spend up on that, as required.